Best Tanks?

[JBFG]

Hello all!
long time lurker in the SM forum.
I'm looking at joining the SM community in the next couple of years.
Right now I'm looking at slowly acquiring gear, the easiest thing to get are tanks.
I have some questions as to what tanks would be best served for SM duties.

About my diving:
I dive cold water in a dry suit with thick undergarment. Currently I dive with a SS BP/W and a AL80. I require 14lbs to be properly weighted. I do OW diving only and some limited wreck penetration. Not interested in Cave but will be in more technical diving in the future. I'm also 5'6'' so kind of short for a dude.

I have a lead on 2 Faber LP 85 that I can probably get for a good deal. Tanks come with a left and right valve that were used in doubles back. Are those tanks suitable for SM diving? Would you recommend them? Would they trim well in SM? I fear that they may be too tall for me (but again I have no idea!).

 

[Caveeagle]

LP 85s seem to be the "Go to" tank for sidemount divers in cave country. For Salt water and Dry w think undergarment, I might think a set of HP100s would suit you better. I think both Faber and Worthington make the LP85s and the Worthingtons are a little more negative, so that might be more workable.

You did not mention where you get your fills. If you don't have a good source for 'generous' fills, that might also steer me away from the LP tank options.

 

[tbone1004]

lp85's are really nice tanks but may be a tad long for you at 5'6". I'm also not a huge fan of Fabers in the salty stuff since they tend to be a bit high maintenance compared to PST and Worthington.

Worthington HP100's are probably going to be better for you in that situation since they are much more negative, a bit shorter, and hot dip galvanized

 

[JBFG]

Thanx!
Forgot to add, I dive in fresh water only. Getting Worthington is hard in Canada, since well you can't really get them anymore.
what about Faber HP 100? As for the fills, well it varies. I'm military so I move around every 2 years. it's always a hit and miss depending what the local shop it.

 

[tbone1004]

Faber HP100's are basically the same as the 85's but you can get better fills from them more consistently. Buy "good enough" for used tanks, they hold their value really well, so no real risk if you buy them and don't like them

 

[JBFG]

gotcha. what really concerns me is the length of the tanks. HP100 = LP 85?

 

[WetRocks]

I'm 5'3" on a good day and the LP 85s trim out just fine on me. I don't think the length will be a problem for you whether you choose HP100s or LP85s.

 

[blac86]

I dive the new Faber lp 85s (the long 7inch diameter tanks). They trim out perfectly for me and for my friends that are 6ft and taller. They are lighter than other lp85s but with valves and stages I'm negative in saltwater at ~500 psi in each tank and no exposure protection. I trim out perfectly level at all stages of a dive with these tanks.

It's nice to have lp tanks because many operations don't have the ability to fill up tanks to 3442. But every compressor can fill to 2680. At 3000psi a lp85 has 100cuft of air anyway, so just get normal hp burst disks.

 

[tbone1004]

I dive the new Faber lp 85s (the long 7inch diameter tanks). They trim out perfectly for me and for my friends that are 6ft and taller. They are lighter than other lp85s but with valves and stages I'm negative in saltwater at ~500 psi in each tank and no exposure protection. I trim out perfectly level at all stages of a dive with these tanks.

It's nice to have lp tanks because many operations don't have the ability to fill up tanks to 3442. But every compressor can fill to 2680. At 3000psi a lp85 has 100cuft of air anyway, so just get normal hp burst disks.

take no offense to this, but your argument for low pressure tanks is one that is regularly echo'd but is not valid. It is a function of the asinine way that tanks are defined in the US. It is a function of people not understanding basic physics.

A faber LP85 and FX100 are the same tank for all intents and purposes as far as gas capacity is concerned. When filled to the same pressure, they will hold the same amount of air. Same with a LP108 and a FX133, or a LP121 and FX149.
The 85/100's are both 13 liters, 108/133 are 17l, and 121/149 are 19l. That is the water capacity at atmospheric pressure. What that means is that when they are filled to the same pressure, they will always be the same capacity.

The only argument for purchasing LP tanks is price and buoyancy characteristics. If the LP tanks are much less expensive and you can get cave fills, and/or you need the lighter buoyancy characteristics of the LP tanks, then use those. For most of us in cave country, the LP tanks buoyancy characteristics are preferable and we have no issue with big fills. If you are diving in the salty stuff, especially if it's colder, you'll probably want HP tanks for their buoyancy characteristics, and since you're dealing with recreational shops, most won't over fill them.

So, you choose a tank based on volume of 3000psi, and if you have the HP tank then anything over that is bonus.

Your comment about operations having the ability to fill to 3500psi. That is decidedly untrue. I do not know of a compressor sold for scuba use that is less than 4000psi. There are/were 3000psi compressors, but they are extremely old and were never intended for breathing air use. There may still be some shops that have them, but I do not know of any. If they have anything that doesn't look like it was built during WWII, then it is going to be able to pump to likely 5000psi as that is considered "normal" for breathing air compressors

 

[RayfromTX]

lp85's are really nice tanks but may be a tad long for you at 5'6". I'm also not a huge fan of Fabers in the salty stuff since they tend to be a bit high maintenance compared to PST and Worthington.

Worthington HP100's are probably going to be better for you in that situation since they are much more negative, a bit shorter, and hot dip galvanized

Faber is making the Hot Dip Galvie HP tanks again.